The subject matter disclosed herein relates to electrical sensors, and more particularly, to multi-axis sensor assemblies.
The development of unmanned vehicles (UVs) and drones, both air, ground, and maritime, has increased demands for sensor systems that can be installed on UV/drone platforms, and more traditional platforms, to provide operators with a wide variety of data types relevant to the specific mission at hand. These directional sensor systems (including, but not limited to, optical, RF, electromagnetic, acoustical, atomic force, magnetic, etc.) aim to maximize the relevant data that can be relayed to the operator. Traditional optical systems, as one of several possible examples, include one or more imaging cameras that are installed on a miniaturized single-axis or dual-axis rotatable gimbal. The gimbal and camera are then collectively hard mounted to the UV or drone. However, the FOV achieved by these single-axis or dual-axis gimbal assemblies is still limited. Therefore, the operator is typically required to also adjust the position of the platform itself, e.g., tilting and/or rotating the platform, to further aim the camera. The limitations described in the above example also hold for other sensor types such as radars, spectrometers, Hall Effect probes, etc.